Index
Having a baby at home means that you will need to visit a doctor often. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but a life so fragile and still in its beginning will certainly need a lot of care. Because your immune system is still developing, a baby is much more likely to acquire diseases and is much more vulnerable to viruses and bacteria.
Herpangina is one of those diseases, extremely common among children from 3 to 10 years old, but that can affect people of any age. Do you want to know what it is about, what are the causes, the main symptoms and the ways to treat this disease? That is exactly what today’s text will talk about.
What is Herpangina?
It is a highly contagious disease that mostly affects children up to 5 years old, but it can also affect older children and even adults. Usually caused by the Coxsackie virus, herpangina is more common in the hottest months of the year, especially in the summer.
It is a mild disease that can be cured in a few days , although there are rare cases where the disease can get complicated, causing serious problems in the nervous system, even death. However, these extreme cases are rare exceptions and should not be treated as a rule, although it is important to treat the disease even if it is mild.
Main Symptoms of Herpangina
The first signs of the disease are very similar to those of a common flu , with symptoms such as high fever and sore throat. Some other symptoms that may still appear in the initial stage of the disease are vomiting, diarrhea, inflamed gums and excessive production of saliva.
This fever usually lasts for about 4 days . After this period, small red spots appear that are usually located at the bottom of the mouth, which can cause thrush and even ulcers in more severe cases. These lesions can also appear on the hands and feet of the infected person.
Because of the very high fever and severe sore throats, it can also happen that the child refuses to eat , which can make treatment a little difficult. It is important that, if this happens to your child, you see a pediatrician as soon as possible so that he does not suffer from a lack of nutrients during the period when he is ill.
How is the Diagnosis of the Disease Done?
The diagnosis of herpangina is made by observation of the symptoms by a doctor. By the characteristic sores in the mouth, he can tell whether the child is infected or not, but in some cases the doctor may do the isolation of the virus and some laboratory tests to confirm whether the case is really of herpangina.
These tests, however, are not very common to be done, since the time for the results to come out is longer than the time that the disease usually lasts in a person.
How is Herpangina Treated?
Herpangina is a disease that disappears alone and its cycle lasts, on average, 10 days. The treatment of the disease is done in order to relieve symptoms such as fever and pain that the child feels.
For this, a doctor can prescribe antipyretics and antibiotics, in addition to also being able to prescribe anesthetics, depending on the case. It is also recommended to keep the child hydrated at all times, mainly due to the loss of fluid in the body that diarrhea and vomiting cause and also due to the difficulties that many children have in ingesting food and fluids.
The disease usually disappears little by little, as the symptoms also disappear. If it persists after this period, it is important to see a doctor to check for a possible complication.
Forms of Prevention
There is no vaccine and no medication to prevent herpangine, so prevention should be done by avoiding contagion. First of all, taking care of your hygienic habits when dealing with the child and also with the child’s, always washing your hands before and after eating and going to the bathroom.
Second, it is important to keep the child away from places where there have been cases of the disease to avoid contact with the virus. These are simple solutions, but they can be very effective in preventing herpangina.
Diseases like herpangina end up affecting many children because it is a virus that spreads quickly. And although it causes concern in many mothers, it is a relatively simple disease and one that can be cured just as easily if proper attention is paid.
Things like this are part of every mother’s routine and, as scary as it may seem, it will have to be part of yours too at some point. This does not mean that it is a bad thing or that you are doing something wrong, just that the cycle of life is taking its natural course. These are things that we learn over time and, after they pass, we become more and more experienced, and the children stronger.
See also: Roséola Infantil – Do you know how to identify?
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
